READ AUDIOBOOK ☆ The Taker - by Alma Katsu #2020

The Taker By Alma Katsu True love can last an eternity but immortality comes at a price On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural St Andrew, Maine, Dr Luke Findley is expecting a quiet evening until a mysterious woman, Lanore McIlvrae, arrives in his ER, escorted by police Lanore is a murder suspect, and Luke is inexplicably drawn to her As Lanny tells him her story, an impaTrue love can last an eternity but immortality comes at a price On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural St Andrew, Maine, Dr Luke Findley is expecting a quiet evening until a mysterious woman, Lanore McIlvrae, arrives in his ER, escorted by police Lanore is a murder suspect, and Luke is inexplicably drawn to her As Lanny tells him her story, an impassioned account of love and betrayal that transcends time and mortality, she changes his life forever At the turn of the nineteenth century, Lanny was consumed as a child by her love for the son of St Andrew s founder, and she will do anything to be with him forever, but the price she pays is steep an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate.

Alma Katsu

Author of THE HUNGER, a reimagining of the Donner Party s tragic journey Putnam THE TAKER, THE RECKONING and THE DESCENT Gallery Books The Taker was selected by ALA Booklist as one of the top ten debut novels of 2011.

The Taker By Alma Katsu

Commentaires:

Nancy

I must have missed something with this book because the reviews are rave yet I am ashamed I finished it Because I am Puritanical Perhaps.The writer s style is flawlessly executed She created interest immediately Her description complete and idea of immortality intriguing I could have been happy with the first few chapters then the last few chapters and skipped about 200 pages in between.Lanore is from Puritanical Maine in the early 1800 s She is in love with Jonathon, the son of the town elite H [...]

Rating You might ask if I loved Jonathan for his beauty, and I would answer that is a pointless question, for his great, uncommon beauty was an irreducible part of the whole It gave him his quiet confidence and his easy, disarminging way with the fairer sex And if his beauty drew my eye from the first, I ll not apologize for it, nor will I apologize for my desire to claim Jonathan for my own To behold such beauty is to wish to possess it it s desire that drives every collector And I was hardly a [...]

The review may contain some spoilery concerning the first half of the plot Finally over sigh That short outburst above had been my review right after I had finished reading the book, and as far as my account was concerned I planned to leave it at that Now, than three months later, I have accumulated enough emotional distance to deal with the story again.I do not remember the exact wording, but when I was handed Alma Katsu s debut The Taker in March, it came with the promise to be something like [...]

First I was to say just a little bit about the book cover So everyone is always saying Dont judge a book by its cover However, honestly it usually the cover that makes you pick up the book to start with If the cover catches your eye you will pick up the book Most people deny that they judge a book by its cover but we are all guilty of it at some And this cover is one that would catch your eyes in book store Its looks really pretty in the picture However it is simply WOW in person It just gorgeou [...]

This uneven first novel promises the start of an entertaining series for those who enjoy supernatural paranormal historicals Big, dramatic, and lurid, this novel tells the story of Lanny McIlvrae, a woman born in 19th century rural Maine, who still walks the Earth some two centuries later, tortured by her past Alternating between now when she convinces the ER doctor to help her escape to Canada and then Paris and recounting her past how she ended up immortal the story features sex, violence, a h [...]

I received this book for free through first reads, and I was excited to dig in I only got a few chapters in and lost interest, though I quickly grew tired of Lanny s obsession with Jonathan, a weak and spineless individual not worth such devotion Apparently there are some twisted sex scenes later on that you have to wade through to keep up with the story not worth it for a mediocre read to begin with I keep coming back to my review of this book, perhaps because I rarely give one star and since I [...]

Lot s of culture Total cover love Flawed charactersOh, boy The Taker was a treasure to read I used to be a mystery thriller suspense reader through and through I rarely read historical fiction, and I certainly didn t read fantasy other than an odd paranormal romance vampires, of course In the past year, I ve begun to branch out into historical fiction, and fantasy even some sci fi, and I m loving it The cover caught my eye It s stunning I so enjoyed this book I literally couldn t put it down It [...]

I m just going to list the things I hated most about this novel.1 Jonathan He was beautiful, sure The most beautiful man on the planet because everyone on the planet in this book s universe shared the same standards of beauty, apparently But beyond that, what was his appeal He was weak, spineless, and disloyal He had no character I have a hard time believing anyone would love him upon getting to know him.2 Both Lanny and Jonathan holding themselves responsible for driving someone to suicide It s [...]

3.5 stars Grade B This novel is a story about the choices we make and how they can result in consequences we are unwilling to imagine at the time and unable to fix later on It s a story about blind and selfish love, about becoming a slave to one s desires, about the evilness that exists in the human heart and the loneliness that can drive us to do terrible things It s a story about human weakness and indulgence, about how permissiveness and indifference can become cruelty It s a story about how [...]

I seem to be having the hardest time connecting with characters lately I wanted to love this in all its darkness glory but the truth is I felt nothing for any of the characters All the male leads with the exception of Luke, were horrible people How can I be in love with a love interest when I can t even find a redeeming quality in them I don t know, this may be a rare case of it s me, not youThis just wasn t my cup of tea at this time Maybe some time in the future I will pick up the sequel and h [...]

Debut author, Alma Katsu has really hit a home run with The Taker This book is so anti love, a true pessimist s delight The Taker shows with Lanore Mcllvrae, the main protagonist, how falling in love with someone who doesn t love you in the same way back can destroy your life In the case of Lanore, Alma has created a sensationalized example, using supernatural elements to prove that love can be not only destructive but can become an unhealthy obsession that will eat away at a person until they [...]

An addictive tale of immortal love, Alma Katsu s debut novel, The Taker, will keep you reading late into the night, and leave you wanting Combining elements of paranormal romance with historical fiction, this book will take you on an unmissable journey through time.The story opens in present day Maine, in the small town of St Andrew, where Dr Luke Findley is about to embark on yet another monotonous shift at the Aroostook County Hospital Recently divorced, and living a totally unfulfilled life, [...]

This novel promises an unforgettable story before even the first printed page A golden metallic, embossed scroll like paper adorns the inside flaps of the hardcover version of this book, hinting at mystery, intrigue and antiquity.And the first haunting chapter delivers on that promise, leading the reader into the intriguing stories behind those scroll like papers, propelling the reader forward Yes, Alma Katsu s debut novel captivated me from the start It is a complete anomaly in terms of the nea [...]

Where I got the book freebie at RT Booklovers Convention.In the endless reaches of Book, a reader wanders in search of a likeable character.Things I Did Not Like 1 the pouty face girl on the cover It s one of those photos that follows you with its eyes.2 the way the plot jerks about like one of those horrendous carnival rides where you think you re going in one direction and then you re not.3 every single character No wait, the prostitute in the woods was OK.4 SO much telling not showing Hints o [...]

I wanted to like this book I wanted to love this book I am dying for a book that spills real love and real heart This book was trying so hard to be Anne Rice Katsu begins her book by going down that road, but ends up with a sad mimicry of a Rice s connection between immortality and sadism something that could not have been avoided by the characters even if Katsu had a better writing style The characters were flat and apparently incapable of making sound or selfless decisions There is never any e [...]

So The Taker was a really difficult novel To be honest I was not sure what to expect, having mostly been drawn by the beautiful cover Yes, I know I know But who really doesn t judge a book by one Anyway, the publisher description was vague enough as to add to the intrigue So like a donkey with the proverbial carrot I was pulled along with the expectation of a sweet surprise Was it a gothic mystery A paranormal romance A modern cautionary tale Well it turned out to be all of these things sort of [...]

It s been a while since a book has haunted me consistently like this one has is Even a few days after finishing it scenes suddenly flood my mind and emotions, sometimes making me pause in the middle of whatever I m doing just so I can fully ponder it all The Taker is a dark, heart wrenching tale of unrequited love, obsession, and the price of immortality Yet, that seems a very weak summation It s a romance, but nothing like your average romance It s a paranormal, but everyone is human, just some [...]

DNF 22%Some lame ass doctor Luke was wasting his life away in some small town in Maine The police brought some bloody chick Lennore who murdered someone to the hospital He listened to her story since she had supernatural healing abilities and he was intrigued The book was so damn boring The paranormal elements were practically nonexistent The chapters from Luke s POV were in the present tense, and it made it awkward to read The chapters from Lennore s POV took place in the 1800 s when she was a [...]

A spellbinding debut by Alma Katsu, but not without its flaws I keep wavering between 3.5 and 4 stars but I suppose it doesn t matter since, in the end, I do recommend this book Lanny and her story will captivate you from day one, and though she seems rather one dimensional even though half the book is told from her POV in the past she will grow on you, as will the tales of her life before and after she meets The Taker Though there are many gruesome scenes in this book, particularly with sexual [...]

This was a very interesting take on immortality The cover and title imply of something sinister, so my first impression expectation upon seeing this book was vampires Since they re virtually the only creatures I know that can live several lifetimes, my uncreative mind immediately jumped to this assumption Of course I was severely mistaken.The Taker was an atmospheric novel about a girl who d fallen on hard times at a time 1800s when pregnancy out of wedlock was mortal sin But that s not how this [...]

This reminded me of a Discovery of Witches a story that didn t work for me The Taker is supposed to be a sort of love story but the problem is there is no love in it so I m not sure how the book should be marketed What passes for love is just deep infatuation and I never really believed in it One part near the end when something very bad has happened, the heroine is so flat emotionally, I wanted to throw the book down I think that s what the real issue is for me no feeling or not enough Luke is [...]

A love that is too strong can turn poisonous and bring great unhappiness And then, what is the remedy Can you unlearn your heart s desire Can you stop loving someone Easier to drown yourself, Sophia seemed to be telling me easier to take the lover s leap I was insecure around him and always would be, the burden of my love like astone manacled to my neck I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well written It reminded me somewhat of Twilight in the sense that the girl thinks nothing of hers [...]

The Taker is a story of mystery, passion, unreturned tragic love, and the paranormal It s sort of adult dark tale with goth elements, paranormal romance and historical fiction.This book is cleverly constructed and has a few stories within a story, it s very well written compelling characters, and intricately detailed.The brilliant Alma Katsu is definitely an author to watch out for in the future If you are looking for a fantastic, brutal, heartbreaking and magical story, read THE TAKER.I highly [...]

Enjoyable story The story kept the book in my hands but one thing that drove me bonkers was why the heck did we have to know about how beautiful Jonathan was every few pages That irked the heck outta me Another peeve with the book is that Lanny had lived all those years and she never learned about the boy I mean dang woman grow a set of balls.

THE TAKER by Alma KatsuTHE TAKER can best be described as a novel of mixed genre It is a historical fantasy that spans the past to the present with sci fi undertones, gothic horror and there is a definite love story, of sorts Some reviewers have labeled The Taker as a romance story that crosses the centuries, but for everything I have read, this is definitely not a romance novel The Taker is well written, thought provoking and eerily depressing The novel spans two centuries in the life of Lanore [...]

Review The 2 Things I love about The Taker1 This is not another love story.I read lots of books about love Romantic love Familial love Loving friends Loving life But I ve yet to read a story that explores the darkness of love When one will do anything be anything for the one s he loves And that is exactly what Katsu does in her debut novel Lanore Lanny for short is in love with Jonathan, has been ever since she was young Although she couldn t explain it at a young age, she knew her love for him [...]